Half to jabez fearey



2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

E. H. HOFFMANN. ELECTRICAL CONDUIT AND DISGHARGER. ,No. 320,253.

Patented June 16, 1885.

N. PETERS. Phulo (No Modem 2 sheets-sheen 2.

E. H. I'PFMDUL ELECTRICAL GONDUIT AND DISGHARGER.

No. 320,253. Patented June 16,1885.

Inl/671137K. M i6. 250%m//w Z/FW N, PETERS. PhawLimogrzpher. wnhingmn.D. l;

Unirse STATES Partnr @tirreno EDMOND H. HOFFMANN, OF NEWARK, NEV JERSEY,ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO JABEZ FEAREY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRICAL CONDUIT ANDDISCHARGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,253, dated dune 16,1885.

Application filed June 7, `1884. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMoND H. HOFFMANN, a citizen ci' the UnitedStates,residingin Newark, Essex county, New Jersey, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Conduits andDischargers, fully described and represented in the followingspeciiication and the accompanying drawings,form inga part of the same.

This invention consists in a conduit provided with manhole chambershaving a scries of conductors arranged therein, and provided withfastenings or posts for the attachment of line-wires when the same areinserted in the conduit from time to time, the said conductors beingprovided with a dischargingwire arranged parallel thereto and connectedwith the ground for relieving such connected linewires of inducedcurrents.

In the drawings, Figure lis a plan of the conduit, with a manhole ateach end, the roof of the conduit and man-hole being removed to show theinterior construction. Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinal sectionofthe same parts. Fig. 3 is a section of one of the service-outlets,enlarged,with the adjacent wall of the conduit. Fig. 4 is a side view ofthe discharging device, and Fig. 5 is a transverse scction of the same.Fig. Gis a perspective view of the conduit-trough, and Fig. 7 a similarview o f the cover or rooffor the same; and Fig. 8 is a vertical sectionof a conduit and man-hole with ahollow post attached, thelower part onlyof the post being in section and being broken off to indicate that theheight shown is indefinite. A

A is the body of the conduit, formed of baked terra-cotta, made insection of a few feet in length, and formed as an open trough, withledges a up on its sides to receive the wheels a of a carriage, B. Theledges are preferably provided with a bar of metal to serve as a veiland to cover the joints of the sections,a groove, e, being formed in theledge for such purpose, and the veil e being merely a large galvanizediron wire cemented in its place with a resinons. compound. The carriageextends across the width of the conduit, and is 'provided with ahorizontal series of hooks or binding-posts, e, at each end, so that theconducting-wires may be attached to the carriage at different points inthe width of the 'conduit and laid along its bottom at any parts of itswidth when the carriage is drawn through the conduit.

Gis the cover of the conduit, made of terracotta in sections like thebody, and may be cemented tightly to the trough and the joints coveredwith hydraulic cement to exclude water. rThe edges of the cover at C arealso made to hook over the sides of the trough, so as to shed water, andis preferably pitched at the center for the same reason as at O2.

To make service-counections readily, and to avoid breaking through theterra-cotta after the conduit is laid, metallic outlets or plates D arebolted into the sides of the trough, or are cemented into openingsprepared for such purpose. F10'. 8 shows a double plate with groovededges, which can be applied to a suitable opening in the terra-cotta andclamped thereto by bolts or rivets d; and also a single plate fastenedinto a recess in the side of the trough A by cement d. The plates are inany case provided with a nozzle and screw-cap, or with a threaded socketto fit a service-pipe, which socket would be closed by a screw-plug, D',asin Fig. 3, until the connection would be required.

.E E are chambers placed along the conduit at intervals, and providedwith man-holes F F, through which the chambers can be entered to insertthe conductors in the conduit.

G is a coil of line-wire hung in the man-hole, and H H are drums in thechambers at the opposite ends of a given conduit, provided with cranks7L to wind up a cable or rope, g, attached to the carriage B.

I is the frame of the discharging apparatus, which is shown as of openrectangular structure, but may be made of a ilat board or bedplate, ifpreferred., its essential parts being a series of separate nakedparallel conductors, J, insulated from the earth, and provided i Tithmeans for connecting the coated line-wires at their opposite ends, andin a discharging-wire, J traversed back and forth between the saidconductors and then led to the ground, as shown in FiO. 4t. Theconductors J and discharging wire or brushes J may therefore be IOOstretched between insulated iixed points upon a flat bed-plate, and suchequivalent is claimed herein where the term frame is used.

The wire J is preferably formed like a bottle-cleaning or Hue-cleaningbrush, with a suecession of radial points adapted to draw theaccumulated or static electricity from the wires J and to conduct it tothe ground, as by wire L. The wires J are of naked metal, while theline-wires K, electrically connected with them, are provided withinsulated coatings, like all wires laid in conduit in close proximity.Such insulated coatings occasion and prevent the free discharge oftheinduced electricity, for which reason I interpose the naked wires J inthe circuit, and discharge the electricity therefrom by theearth-connection at J and L.

rIhe conductors J are shown provided with binding-posts Z Z at each end,so that the current of any line may be led through it when any ofthesaid conductors is placed in the ci rcuit of such. line. Each conductorJ may be placed in the circuit of a different line, and the singlediseharging-brush wire J serve to remove static or induced electricityfrom them all.

rlhe construction described is operated as follows: Alter the buildingof man-holes or chambers at proper intervals, the terra-cotta trough islaid to connect the chambers and the rails cemented in the grooves inthe ledges u. The carriage is then put in the conduit, the drums I-I andcables g are cemented therewith, and the discharging device fitted intothe chamber at any convenient point upon the side or bottom. The cover Cis then laid upon the conduit and secured permanently, and a reel ofline-wire, G, provided at both of the nian-holes. lwo men, located intwo adjacent chambers, can then. readily draw the carriage back andforth and lay the line-wire K at any point upon the width of theconduits bottom by first attaching the line from the reel to the hook eupon the carriage over such point. NVhen the desired number of lineshave been laid in such conduit, their ends would be connected to theposts Z at the nearer ends of the conductors J in the dischargingdevice, and the continuation of such lines would thereafter be made byconnection with the opposite ends of the conductors J at the posts Z.

The lines could be laid in all the parts of the conduit in similarmanner and continuous connection for each distinct line be made throughas many of the discharging devices as might prove needful to prevent alleffect of the induced electricity upon theinstrunienis connected withthe lilies.

It will be observed that the construction of the discharging deviceincludes sections of conductors arranged in the proper relation to thedischarging or ground wire, and that such sections are provided withclamps or posts ZZ at both ends, so as to be connected with anyparticular circuit in the most convenient and expeditious manner. Suchconstruction, therefore, secures more perfect results than when adischarging-wire is laid with the line-wires in the closed conduit insome imperfect manner, as the frame may be constructed by skilledworkmen with needful care and the line-wires connected to it afterwardwithout any skill Whatever.

Such frame may be applied to a series of line-wires at any point intheir circuit, as when they are lcd into an operating-room, or at otherconvenient points, and furnishes an exceedingly compact and effectivemeans of exposing a large number of conductors to the action of one ormore dischargi iig-wires. The frame may also be used where theline-wires pass out of the operating-room to divert any extraneousinduced currents to the earth, and thus prevent them from affectingadjoining wires.

The effect would obviously be the same in principle if two or more ofthe wires J were extended across the frame, and in such case they may beeach confined to one part of the frame and operate upon differentconductors, or be stretched upon opposite sides of the same conductors.

The series of conductors and dischargingwi res may be made of anydesired length and be provided with any ordinary means of attaching theline-wires at the opposite ends,Z Z, provided the structure includes thearrangement shown and such means of connection. I have also show'nherein a means for diverting a series of line-wires from a subterraneanconduit to a series of poles above ground, which' consists in theapplication of a hollow pole to soine point above the conduit, and insuitable apertures near the head of the pole, through which the wirescan be extended to the insulators upon the poles, and thence to otherordinary poles or supports.

In Fig. 8, A is the conduit. a is an outlet, from which the Wires K areconducted to the foot of the pole P and through its interior to theapertures i', near the cross-bar It, to which the insulators s aresecured. This construction secures complete protection for the wiresfrom the conduit to the top of the pole, as the pole may be extendeddownward to the conduit, or equivalent tubing, as T ,be applied to thewires where they pass through the soil. The pole is preferably made ofiron tube, and may be made in sections coupled together in anyconvenient manner.

rlhe material for the conduit described herein is intended to be ofterra-cotta or other earthy material. capable of moulding into sectionsof the desired form and hardening so as to bear handling, like certainkinds of water-pipes made of sand and hydraulic cement. Such inatcri alsare inuch cheaper than iron,and, as they are not affected electrically,are much more suitable in every way than metal for the purposedescribed. Vhen made of the earthy matcrials,l claini the inner side ofthe conduit may be coated With an insulating composition or not, aspreferred l/Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent herein,is*

l. The combination, With an electrical conduit and a series ofline-Wires therein, of adischarging device consisting of a framecontaining a series of parallel conductors, clamps or posts at each endof such conductors, and a discharging-Wire traversed back and forthbetween such conductors and connected with the ground, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with a conduit adapted to receive a series ofelectrical line-wires, of man-hole chambers provided with an inductiondischarging device having a series of separate insulated conductorsprovidedwith bind- EDMOND H. HOFFMANN.

Vitnesses:

Trios. S. CRANE, L. LEE.

